1953 Fiat 8V Berlinetta

This 'Carrozzeria Speciale Berlinetta,' developed by Dante Giacosa and styled by Fabio Lucio Rapi, is one of only 34 produced. The body employs a double steel shell concept - each wafer thin; the inner providing structural rigidity, the outer giving the car its aerodynamic shape. It was tested in a wind tunnel netting a 0.3 drag coefficient which was quite advanced for the time. All four wheels were independently suspended and used Rudge center locks with Baroni wire spoke wheels. The side and rear windows are made of a lightweight acrylic and the transmission is a racing 4-speed manual gearbox. The fuel cap is made of weight-saving aluminum and the special steering wheel is from Nardi. The car was given a restoration from 1991 - 1996.

At its heart is an alloy 1996cc 70-degree V-8 with pushrods operated by a single camshaft in the center. Breathing through two four-barrel Weber downdraft carburetors, it produced 127 horsepower.

This Series II Fiat 8V received factory bodywork and was delivered to Rome, Italy in November of 1953. It was finished in gray metallic paint with a blue leather interior. The car was a wedding gift for the Conte Ranieri di Campello and his wife, Maria Sole Agnelli. The car would stay in their care until 1957, when it was sold to a resident of Rome, Fabizio Corcos. The next owner was Rosario Bevaqua in Rome early in 1958, and later the same year, was exported to the UK by its new owner David John Wilks. After years of use, it was put into a barn, where it would sit for 15 years. In 1990, after the owner passed away, the widow brought the car to auction where it was sold to an Italian gentleman who began a restoration that was never completed. The car was offered for sale through the Oldtimer Garage in Bern, Switzerland, where it was purchased by the owner of a Fiat garage in Germany, Horst Kock. Mr. Koch and his son began an extensive restoration which would last five years. The fiat was stripped down and completely restored.

Mr. Koch retained the car for ten years and used it sparingly, accumulated just 150 km in a decade. The current owner - who has owned five of the 114 Fiat 8Vs produced - purchased the car from Mr. Koch.

In 2010, the car was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company auction held in Pebble Beach, CA. It had an estimated value of $425,000-$550,000. As bidding came to a close, the car had been sold for the sum of $400,000, inclusive of buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jun 2012